Operating a vehicle on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) has numerous advantages. For example exhaust gases may be cleaner. In some markets it may be cheaper to operate a vehicle using CNG verses other fuels such as gasoline. A challenge arises in converting existing vehicles to contain the CNG tank and fuel fill door (on bi-fuel vehicles).
One proposal to locate a CNG tank on a pickup truck would mount one or two tanks directly to the wall, or floor, of the pickup bed.
However, the inventors herein have recognized several issues with such approaches. As one example, gaining access to the CNG tank(s) to refuel the pickup truck may be difficult, and may require reaching over the bed wall, or climbing onto the bed. In addition, this approach may tend to give the pickup truck an unfinished “aftermarket solution” appearance.
Thus, in one example, the above issues may be addressed by providing a vehicle, such as a pick up truck including a cab including an engine compartment. An engine may be configured to operate on a gaseous fuel and may be located in the engine compartment. The vehicle may include a bed, and a mid-box positioned between the cab and the bed. The mid-box may include at least one storage tank configured to store the fuel in a compressed state. The vehicle may include a fueling system configured to supply fuel from the at least one storage tank to the engine. In this way, it may be possible to take advantage of already available vehicle manufacturing configurations and available tooling, while also providing a finished look and easy re-fueling accessibility.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.